She Has Nothing To Fear
by Serenity's Ghost
Summary: While fighting a criminal, a girl intervenes and catches Kaldur's eye. Then...she asks him out. Just how was he to handle that? Kaldur and Original Character. Wanted to write Kaldur a little romance after his best friend stole his girl.


**Just wanted to give Kaldur his day in the sun of romance. My girls are always head-on ones.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original character and this here scenario that I have concocted.**

They chased the criminal into a park, him as their only focus. He was a fast runner and just as good a fighter and despite Kid Flash's speed and reflexes, his attacks seemed not to be doing much. He stopped and turned around to face them, throwing a few miniature grenades which Miss Martian was able to deflect most of. A few escaped her counter attack and the explosion pushed her and Aqualad back, leaving Robin, Superboy and Kid Flash to attack for them. Artemis had been unable to come.

The criminal, Defacto, a human with some tech that managed to make him quite dangerous, managed to defeat Robin and Kid Flash, catapulting Kid Flash into the Boy Wonder and then another miniature grenade sent Superboy flying into the jungle gym. Just as the pain had receded enough, Aqualad began to get to his feet when he noticed the girl sitting atop the jungle gym for the first time. Movement not too far from her forced his vision to shift. There was a kid there as well, a young boy. His eyes widened. The civilians could not get hurt.

She got to her feet and then did something he totally would not have expected. She jumped on Defacto, her foot contacting with his face and flooring him. He broke her fall but he wasn't so lucky. She made her way to her feet just as Aqualad approached.

"That was dangerous. You should not have tried something like that. You should let us handle things like this," he said to her. She smiled at him and her whole face seemed to light up. She was very beautiful, he noted. Her pants and jacket were black leather and her white shirt ended an inch above the waist of her pants, showing off a strip of her fair skin, and she was wearing combat boots with them. Her hair was black with light blonde streaks and her nose was straight, complimenting big almond-shaped eyes and full lips.

"You're welcome," she replied. Her eyes shot to the side and in a second, she was whirling around to kick a risen Defacto in the jaw and she staggered right into Aqualad. Superboy caught Defacto as he staggered back and restrained him, forcing his arms behind his back. Miss Martian and Robin rushed over to help him secured him and Kid Flash went to the kid cowering by the end of the jungle gym. They started to walk towards them as she got to her feet again.

"Are you alright?" Aqualad asked.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy. Too much excitement for a weak heart," she answered, putting a hand to her chest. "Thank you." The kid ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and she looked down at him. "See, I told you I'd protect you no matter what. And you didn't believe me." She smiled and messed up his blonde hair.

"What are you guys doing out here this late anyway?" Kid Flash asked.

"I'm here waiting with Jimmy until his brother comes back from work. Little Jimmy here is stubborn and _has_ to come meet his brother after work so I offered to watch and wait with him until Raynor comes for him so they can walk home," she explained.

"Kassidy!" a voice called from the distance behind her. She looked back and Jimmy ran towards the guy the voice belonged to. "Thanks, hon!" He waved at her and gave her a warm smile that she returned and offered the little boy the rock symbol for 'I love you' which he returned right before they walked off. Kid Flash shrugged.

"I'm going to go where the excitement it," he declared, dashing off for the others and leaving them alone.

She turned back to Aqualad.

"So, your name is Cassidy?"

"Yeah, with a K. What's your name?"

"Call me Aqualad." She snickered.

"I know what they call you. Don't you have a real name?"

"I—" Aqualad hesitated, baffled by the sudden question even though it should have been anticipated.

"Just your first name? Our secret?" She seemed so excited just to know something like his first name, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed over something rather trivial. He cracked a small smile and found himself deciding to tell her.

"Kaldur. Also with a K."

"Cool name. K is the best letter of the alphabet."

"Perhaps you should have left with your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? Raynor's just my neighbour. He calls every girl he knows 'hon'. The 'I love you' was for Jimmy. He's like my own little brother. I kind of wished I had one."

"When did you indicate your love?"

"The symbol I made with my hand. You're not familiar with it?" He shook his head.

"Oh. My apologies for the assumption."

"No problem. Lots of people ask me that though, about me and Raynor. I'm totally used to it."

"Well, alright. You should get going anyway. It's getting late and it may be quite dangerous to be by yourself."

"Late? Nothing before three a.m. is late, my friend. But I do take your point about the dangerous part. I do usually go with Raynor and Jimmy but I figured I had to thank you properly for not letting me fall like that. I really appreciate what you guys are doing, young as you are. Well, I'm going now."

Kaldur just stood there as she turned and walked away, stunned and a little bit speechless by this strange girl with the very beautiful face who dared to put herself in the middle of a fight that was not really her concern. After she was a few steps away from him, she stopped and spun around and walked back over to him, chuckling and with a smile that accentuated her face in the most graceful and beautiful way.

"I don't really do this but would you like to meet me at the Club de Luna at midnight? My fortune said that the person whose arms hold me today is someone I should try to get to know better and I figure between you and Jimmy, it's you it was talking about."

Kaldur became even more shocked. The beautiful girl was advancing on him. His duty re-entered his mind as Robin called him over from his communicator.

"I have to go," he said, heading off in the direction she had been leaving in.

"Uh, sure," she answered simply, face devoid of the smile now. He was a few steps away from her when he stopped and half-turned to face her.

"Kassidy," he called. She turned around. "I'll meet you there." She smiled and he ran off to go to the aid of his comrades.

He had tried to make sure on his part that the debriefing after the mission was brief and he breathed a sigh of relief when Batman was out of there by eleven o' clock. Robin and Kid Flash came to stand before him just as the veteran left.

"So, I hear you were chatting up the girl who pulled that wicked stunt," Robin said, smirking.

"He so was. You should have seen him. He looked kind of star-struck. I mean I don't blame him, she was pretty hot, but she seemed pretty googly-eyed over him, too, so I thought I'd do the gentlemanly thing and give them some space," Kid Flash interjected. Kaldur just remained silent and looked down at the floor.

"Oh, come on. Don't be bashful. She's a pretty girl. Did you at least get her number all that time you were standing there?" Kid Flash pushed.

"She...asked me to meet her at Club de Luna at midnight," he admitted finally. The two shot a glance at each other.

"And did you agree to meet her?" Robin asked.

"I did." Kid Flash whistled.

"Club de Luna's a pricey place. Cover charge alone is like a hundred dollars on busy nights but I hear it's excellent in there. She must be a rich kid," Kid Flash said.

"It's Saturday night. Busiest night of the week. I sure hope you've got cash on you," Robin added. Kaldur's expression was shocked for a second then returned to normal.

"I have some money. But, this girl, should I trust her? Perhaps this is a trap." Robin snickered.

"Get your head out of work, man. She's into you. Just go with it. You like her, don't you?"

"She's...very beautiful...and certainly very interesting. She attacked a criminal with no hesitation when we were there to handle it."

"Dude, just go already. Change out of your gear and go meet her. If anything goes wrong, just radio us and we'll be there in a flash," Kid Flash told him, grinning.

"Alright. I think I will," Kaldur responded, cracking a smile.

He scanned in front of the building which had a long line streaming out of it and loud music leaking out. His eyes finally found her leaning against the wall, hands in her jacket pockets, one foot propped against the wall behind it. Her eyes lit up the second she saw him and she leaned off of the building as he approached.

"You came!" she said.

"I said I would, did I not?"

"Yeah, but I've been stood up before."

"I am sorry."

"It's alright."

"Shall we go in now?"

"To the Club? No, no, that place is _far_ too expensive! It's just fun to hang around here and watch all the people pass by. I was thinking we could go some place quieter."

"Quieter sounds good. Where exactly are we going?" Her smile became a bit of a smirk.

"Just follow me."

She took his hand and led him through the streets and into an alley where she led him up a fire escape and to the roof of the apartment building. She released his hand but continued walking, crossing a ladder that had been put across two buildings and climbing one more ladder onto another building.

"You come here often?" Kaldur assumed.

"Yup. It's my favourite spot to just sit and look out at the people. You're actually the first person I've brought to my private spot."

"Then I am honoured." She took a seat on a high platform near the edge of the building and he came to sit beside her and they looked out on the streets below. She offered him a smile which he returned. He loved to see her smile. It made her splendid face look even more enchanting.

"Is it alright for you to be out at this hour? Will your parents not worry?" he asked.

"I don't live with my parents. They passed away a few years ago and I've been living with my brother ever since. He's away on business for two years so it's just me."

"You are alone? Is that not irresponsible to abandon a minor?" She barked a laugh and this confused him.

"You're so naive it's cute. I'm almost seventeen anyway and I'm used to being on my own. My parents worked a lot so I was alone for a very long time. My brother had his girlfriends and his school work so most of the time it was just me in some way or the other. I enjoy the freedom, though. It's nice. I learn about the world by observing the people in it and reading as many books as I possibly can."

"I am sorry about your parents. You don't attend school?"

"Waste of time. I learn more on my own."

"You're very individualistic and yet you crave a little brother."

"I just thought that having a kid brother would allow me to have some kid fun. I don't want to be an adult yet. I don't like being alone all the time, either." Her gaze shifted from the road ahead to him. "But enough about me. Tell me what it's like to be in a crime-fighting team."

"It is difficult but it is a duty that must be done."

"I'm sure you have some really interesting stories to tell."

"I'm not sure if that is how I would define them but I suppose to others it would be considered interesting."

"You're so modest. Or condescending. I'm not sure which one and I'm not sure I mind."

"Forgive me if my statement seemed condescending. It was not meant to be."

"It's alright. I just have a bad habit of interpreting things wrongly. You must feel like you're under intense pressure all the time, given the kind of consequences you could face."

"Not all of the time. When we have no mission, sometimes we go to the beach, although Kid Flash has school most times and is unable to join us. But in the heat of battle, yes, there is some pressure. Lives depend on our success. But as a trained instrument of justice, I must put my own fears and frustrations aside and focus on the tasks at hand." He turned to find her head resting on her knees as she studied him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's just...absolutely fascinating that you talk like that. It's cool...and just a little bit cute. Commendable for the most part."

"I find it curious that you would use 'cute' to describe me." She smiled a little.

"You are cute. No girl ever told you that before?"

"No, I can't say anyone has." She looked back out into the streets.

"Well, you are, okay?" He could feel the blush spreading under his dark skin and looked onto the foot traffic ahead.

After a few seconds of silence passing between them, she perked up and looked back over to him.

"How would you like to go to the arcade with me? That should be fun. It'd be perfect to fill your downtime and my fix of kid fun. What do you say?"

"Are there arcades open this late?" She snickered.

"No, but that shouldn't stop us."

"That's called breaking and entering. We apprehend people for that."

"I know where the key is and we're not going to steal anything. Just for an hour?" She put on that excited pleading face again and that made his resolve waiver. He supposed no one would get hurt and if they used the key, the property would remain very well intact. He exhaled.

"One hour. But then we've got to leave," he acceded.

"Yay! You won't regret it."

"Where's the arcade?"

"The building next door."

Everything outside of them ceased to exist. It was just them and the arcade, their fun and their laughter. He thought himself lucky to be able to see her smile so much and she thought herself lucky to hear his laugh. She wanted him to have fun and just relax. She was just so happy to give him some fun in his generally grave life. It made him happy to fill the place beside her and share her fun.

Their hour was up far too soon, but they left, taking care to deactivate and lock everything so that it was left as they found it. Just as she was placing the padlock on the chain as he held it together, her hands touched his.

"Your hands are cold," she said to him. Just as they were able to be free, he dropped his hands to his sides.

"Sorry." She reached for his hands and held them between hers, rubbing them a few times to share her warmth.

"It's okay. Let me warm them for you." He didn't really know what to say. According to what he knew of the customs of courtship on land, as it generally was in Atlantis, the males were usually the ones who made the advances. She was something different. She was like she had nothing to fear and everything to give, like she lived for the moment and the moment alone. After two minutes, she let his hands go, now significantly warmer, but they remained just facing each other. She looked up at him, shaking her bangs out of her face and away from her eyes as she had done many times for that night.

"Thank you," he said finally.

"Hm, it seems to me you're thinking more than that." Another shocker. It was as if she was a mind reader.

"I was just thinking about how fascinating you are. You are so free-spirited and fearless. It still amazes me how you could involve yourself in a dangerous fight without a second thought."

"The fight was getting too close to Jimmy. I had to make sure he wouldn't get hurt. I figured it wouldn't hurt to help you guys since you were all on the ground. Besides, I had what you guys didn't have: the element of surprise. He could never have guessed that I was prepared to fight him."

"Thank you again. You helped shorten a fight that could have gone on for some time."

"Any time," she replied, flashing him another smile that simply took his thoughts away. A drop from the sky hit him on the cheek and startled him.

"Rain," she said. She reached up and wiped the water from his face with her thumb and then froze in front of him, her eyes deeply searching his. It was something he'd seen in movies many times before, when he had nothing better to do than remain in the living room with M'gann

"You want to kiss me, don't you?" he asked her after a moment.

"Yes, but I don't know if I should," she whispered. For the first time for the night, he decided to make the first move.

He angled her face up to his with a gentle hand and brought his lips down to hers. Gently, their lips collided and she gave into him immediately, parting her lips for his to fit with them. It started very calmly, his lips on her hers and then she started to respond with fervour, pulling him closer and pulling him into the kiss. He let her feel his fascination with her, the attraction he felt to her and how grateful he was that he could go out with her. His own fervour responded and her arms came to hold him tightly against her and his available hand went to rest on her back. She continued to give and ask in that one kiss and he requested and reciprocated until they could feel their bodies beginning to crave the air. He broke away first and they gazed at each other while they repaid their oxygen debt.

Thunder rolled and mere seconds later, the sky released its salt-less tears to feed the earth.

"We should find shelter," he said. They stepped under the eaves of the same arcade they'd just left. She sighed.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I'd love nothing more than to be able to dance in the rain," she admitted.

"Then why don't you?"

"Will you dance with me?" Again with that expectant look. He gave a small smile.

"Certainly."

She took his hand and then stepped back into the rain. She turned to him and took his other hand and they started going in circles as the rain fell upon then, She began to laugh and it became infectious as he laughed at her laughing and just how simply fun it was for them to be spinning in circles in the rain. The rain was just slowing when her phone beeped three times. Her smile toned down significantly.

"You must go?" he asked her.

"No, you have to. It's almost three and your days are probably filled with training and unpredictable crises."

"I can stay a little longer." She shook her head.

"I feel so alive right now that I feel like I won't need to sleep tonight. But reality is going to catch up to both of us and you in particular can't afford to crash." She closed the step between them and held their joined hands to her face. "Kaldur, tonight has been one of the very best of my life. Thank you." She kissed his hands and he offered her a smile. She was right. He needed some rest before the rigours of his superhero life resumed later that day. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Will you at least walk with me part of the way to my home?" he asked. She already understood why she could only go part of the way with him.

"Certainly," she replied.

They walked hand in hand and she sang beautiful songs, some sad, some romantic and some an intense mixture of both. He was just content to listen and she was just content to sing. She did not have the most beautiful singing voice he'd ever heard, it was just average but just the fact that she was singing for him made it more special than hearing a voice more beautiful than hers sing for everyone and no one would have. She would stop to ask questions and point out places where she'd seen interesting things and he would answer and talk with her in turn as they walked. It felt very normal. When they had covered three quarters of the distance to Mount Justice, he stopped and turned to her and she knew that their time together had come to an end.

"Kassidy, this is where we part ways," he said to her. His voice was even in the way that told that he wasn't at all calm and steady inside.

"I know. I'm really glad you came, Kaldur."

"I am also glad that I came, and glad that I was invited. Will I be able to see you again?"

"I'd love that but I don't want to be a distraction or a liability to you. We probably shouldn't."

"Sometimes one needs some distractions and liabilities to keep them sane and to keep the sympathies and emotions that give them conscience alive." She smiled.

"Well said." She took a card from her pocket with her name and number written on it and placed it in his jacket pocket before pulling his head down to hers for a few short, strong kisses. "Don't forget me, okay? Even if you do decide to let me go."

"You're smile is too beautiful to ever forget. Be safe. Will you go home now?"

"Yes. I don't live far from here. Find me someday." She touched her lips to his one last time and then turned and sprinted off into the distance. He watched her run until he could see her no more.

He turned and walked quickly to Mount Justice and came in to find Kid Flash and Robin on the couch, playing video games. They turned upon his entrance and paused the game.

"Hey, Kaldur. Why don't you come over here?" Robin suggested. He approached the boys, realising that he was soaking wet and leaving a wet trail as he walked. "Dude, you're soaked. Did the rain catch you on your way back?"

"No. Actually, we were wet before we started heading back." Robin and Kid Flash threw each other a glance, the plural not escaping them. "You two should go to bed. Training tomorrow, perhaps among other things." Kaldur started for his room.

"That's it? No details?" Kid Flash whined.

"We can talk tomorrow. Sleep is necessary now. Why aren't you home, Wally?"

"Told my mom I was sleeping over. Rob and I are staying the night here for an epic videogame battle."

"Alright. Fine. Go to bed."

Kaldur fell into bed, looking at the card for a long moment. He fought with the idea of calling her and the knowledge that she had had a good point when she spoke about being a distraction and a liability. It was common knowledge that life as an instrument of the Justice League meant one hundred percent dedication and enemies had a nasty habit of going for the important ones of their opponents to force their hands. He did not want to endanger her life. She had managed to become important to him in a matter of hours. But in a few more hours, he would be required to forget her hair and her eyes and her smile and her kiss and think of nothing more that the tasks ahead and the managing of the team.

Tomorrow was another day that he would be able to take to make up his mind about a lot of things. She was alone. He did not want her to be alone. He took one last look at the card before resting it on the bedside table. Someday, he'd give Kassidy Arthan a call. This was one relationship he believed would be more detrimental to terminate than to let live.

**Even slightly tempted to review? Give in, please! Even one-liners are appreciated. I'd love to know if you liked it or her or anything.**


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